progenitor

中文： 祖先、先祖

1. A forefather, any of a person's direct ancestors.
2. A person from whom one or more people (dynasty, tribe, nation…) are descended. · Abraham, alias Ibrahim, is the presumed progenitor of both the Jewish and Arab peoples.
3. An ancestral form of a species.
4. A predecessor of something, especially if also a precursor or model. (figuratively) · ARPANET was the progenitor of the Internet.· Are neural progenitor cells infected by Zika virus?
5. Someone who originates something. (figuratively)
6. A founder.

复数 progenitors